Sinister Visions (2013) – By Baron Craze

Sinister Visions comes from Chemical Burn Entertainment and grants the audience a five-tale horror anthology, mixed with dark humor, graphic scenes, immense violence and gore, something for every horror and gore-hound fan to enjoy. This collection follows the path that Tales from the Crypt and Creepshow laid out before, and now becoming the mainstay for collections of short films. Short films usually contain three routes after creation, the film festival circuit dries up, and those options: strive to make it into a feature, put it on the shelf (and forget about it), and lastly have it in anthology for more exposure.

The first standout of the films comes from the talented Kim Sonderholm, who directs and acts in three short films and is no stranger to the horror genre, or to having his films in horror collections. Noting that two of his previous films have appeared in other collections, Mental Distortions and Invasion of Privacy were in The Horror Vault Vol. 1 (2008) and The Horror Vault Vol. 2 (2009), respectively.

Succubus leads off the carnival ride, with nifty introduction credits, and an explanation of what demonic creature is a succubus, especially helpful to those unfamiliar with the term outside of the occult horror fans, as the term dates back to Medieval Latin. This short film has nothing to do with Jess Franco, Kim Bass or the short film from Alison Reid; rather the creator of this tale is Kim Sonderholm. The creature is none other than a sexual predator demon, which consumes men, while its counter entity is an incubus in the male form. A woman, Emma (Kat Herlo) on an archeology dig in Syria, discovers and opens (never a good thing in horror films) that she breathes into and possesses her. Out of the entire disc, and all films included, this short film has the best special makeup effects, and extremely noteworthy.

One must note a brief segment filters between the first and second tale, called NOTLD (all horror fans know what it means) with regard to a scientist trapped with the relentless zombie horde and computer systems that resembles HAL, from Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), as instead of help, it brings the dead to the scientist. The comedy and zombies, leads this 3-minute short to a munching conclusion, and yet shuffles into the next tale most fittingly.

My Undead Girlfriend, presents as the second tale, and it happens to be the best with the dark humor of the DVD, it is a story centering around Keith, a man, in immense debt and he prepares to marry a rich woman, to pay off his vicious loanshark but the zombie girlfriend places the marriage in jeopardy. This film from directors Henric Brandt and Andreas Rylander has hints to Shaun of the Dead, and involves a bizarre and yet highly entertaining dinner scene with her parents. The tale becomes the nuttiest morbid short, out of the entire set, with all of the actors maintaining in control and with a bit of normalcy in an insane situation.

Mother Knows Best comes again from Kim Sønderholm, and in the leading role, of Carl with a nagging mother who wishes he stay away from his sweetheart Rebecca. A true homage to Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho (1960) and with ever so slight quirks that still makes it very enjoyable to watch. The story has a true horror feel to it, with an overbearing controlling and sinister mother, who just will not allow her son to live his life.

A Woman Scorned features the last film from Kim Sonderholm, and provides a grim story, with equally compelling music, which adjusts to the scenes masterfully, and a simple straightforward story of revenge, by the hands of Holly getting revenge on Richard and Gail, but there’s just one little catch, Holly is Richard’s former wife . There are a few maternal horrors that one can dine on, in a smart short film, just remember possession is nine tenths of the law.

Lastly, Genital Genocide, from director Doug Gehl, comes upon a serial killer, Charles Albert Harris (David C. Hayes) sitting in an electric chair, giving a twisted account of his crimes, however Death plays a card that no one sees coming and makes for a gruesome conclusion to the last film and the Sinister Visions itself. This final tale lacks conviction, almost as if a last minute decision, an additional film needed to fill the disc.

Therefore, if you seek a twisted, sick, perverse, gruesome discovery then, Sinister Visions will fill your eyes with hideous thoughts, and yet the negative aspects such as the acting which is over emphasized at times, and becomes accepted with heavy regret, but is commonplace with low-budgeted foreign horror films.

This review was originally published on Rogue Cinema’s website in May 2014 with 1,110 views.

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